Diabetic population mortality and cardiovascular risk attributable to hypertension: A decade follow-up from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

Abstract

To determine the extent to which burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes among diabetic population is attributable to hypertension. Nine-year follow-up data were secured for 7068 participants aged ≥ 20 years old, free from CVD at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was implemented to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of hypertension. Population-attributable hazard fraction (PAHF) was used to assess proportion of diabetic population hazard of CVD events and mortality attributable to hypertension. In the whole population, irrespective of diabetes or hypertension status, incidence rate (95% CI) of CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as CVD and all-cause mortality per 1000 person-year were 8.3 (7.6–9.0), 7.1 (6.5–7.8), 1.8 (1.5–2.1) and 3.9 (3.5–4.5), respectively. Among diabetes participants, hypertension was a risk factor for CHD (HR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.15–2.03), CVD (HR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.50–2.41), CVD mortality (HR = 1.65, 95% CI 0.87–3.12) and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.53, 95% CI 0.97–2.42). HRs, however, were not statistically significant for all-cause or CVD mortality. PAHFs (%) of hypertension was 27.5 (95% CI 8.3–42.6) for CHD, 29.6 (95% CI 10.6–44.4) for CVD, 27.9 (95% CI − 17.2 to 55.7) for CVD mortality and 22.6 (95% CI − 5.9 to 43.4) for all-cause mortality. Our study shows that there is an excess risk of CVD in hypertensive patients with diabetes related to inadequate control of blood pressure.

Key Words::

• Cardiovascular disease
• diabetes
• hypertension
• mortality
• population-attributable hazard fraction

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.